where to begin

[megacab]

i am looking into custom shaped coro signs as a niche market. been researching cnc routers to cut the shapes i need. that being said, i am lost on what are good routers to look at and what are just junk. i will only be cutting out of 18x24 pieces, so i don't need a large cutting area. any ideas what machines to look at and which ones to stay away from? also, what software do these run on? autocad or can i use my corel? any insight is appreciated.:thankyou:

[SebastienL]

A cnc router will not cut coroplast. Well, yes it will, but it will do a S***ty job at best. Your router needs to be equipped wit an ocsillating knife to do a good jod on coroplast.
I know Multicam an Axyz offer a knife on their routers as an option.

Software wise, you don't need autocad. Illustrator or Corel will do for layouts. You will need a software to run the cnc though. I imagine you want to print and cut. For that, you will need the optional camera on the router. This needs a dedicated software to read the printed registry marks and program the router accordingly.

Now, I,m not an expert an all that is available out there. I don't know if there is a dedicated coroplast cutter on the market. I run a Multicam using Type3 for regular cnc work and i-Cut for cutting to registry using the camera. All my prep work is done in illustrator.

Hope this is helpfull...

Sébastien

[Mosh]

How many you going to do? If you are only starting out cut your shape from a peice of MDO and use that a a template to hand router them. We do this and I can bang out 100 in around an hour. Way cheaper than a CNC, if that is all you are goig to do with it.

[10sacer]

Look at tabletop shopbot for your size requirements but, remember, would be alot faster to buy precut pieces from someone who has invested in a 4x8 or 5x10 machine who can cut out 10 at a time.

[SignManiac]

Have you established a selling point for your product yet? Not sure it will be a lucrative market until you crunch the numbers. Could take quite a while to get a return on your investment.

[Driving Force]

We laser cut ours. A smaller laser would do the job just fine.

[TammieH]

I agree with SebastienL , you do not want to saw or rout Corrugated plastic; Knife, Laser or Die-cut. Although I do not know how well a flatbed knife cutter will work with Coroplast, I ran one for 18 months at an industrial print shop, cutting Lexan & vinyl parts...I just do not know. I think the lack of speed would be cost prohibitive.

[megacab]

thanks everyone. guess i'll start researching lasers a bit also. if not, i'll just keep farming them out. was trying to just do a little more work in house.